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Two events have converged in my mind to get me thinking about the way I approach men of note who have perpetrated acts of violence against women. The first is an art exhibition currently showing near me featuring clay models made by the Baroque Italian sculptor Gianlorenzo Bernini, which I was initially thrilled to go see. The second is the recent tragedy in South Africa, in which Olympian Oscar Pistorius shot and killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

Sadly, it’s easy to think of a slew of other cases that are similar to Pistorius’, involving a male celebrity perpetuating an act of violence against a women. Chris Brown, Jovan Belcher, and Ben Roethlisberger come to mind immediately. In most of these cases (unless the victim is a celebrity herself) the coverage centers around the perpetrator and not about the woman who has been attacked or killed. My response is always the same when these instances occur; horror, and a boycott of whatever the male celebrity is involved in. I won’t see Roman Polanski movies, and I’m certainly not buying Chris Brown’s albums.

What does this have to do with Bernini? He’s a long dead visual artist and architect, and his work was instrumental in leading me to study art history. In college I jokingly referred to him as my dead Italian boyfriend. I’ve listed him amongst my favorite artists since then, and display books on his work in my home.

He also perpetrated a horrific act of violence against a woman. Conforming to the stereotype of the passionate Roman artist, Bernini was having an affair with the wife of one of his assistants. Her name was Costanza Bonarelli, and she was also engaged in an affair with Bernini’s brother. When Bernini found out, he attacked his brother, who was forced to leave Rome. He also sent a servant to Costanza’s home to slash her face with a razor. As punishment, Bernini was fined, but Pope Urban VIII pardoned him and pressured him to marry. Costanza, however, was sentenced to prison for adultery and fornication.

Bernini is well known for his sculptures of women, including a bust of Costanza, but this aspect of his career is little discussed. In attempting to google the incident for this essay, I could find no mention of the attack. References to the affair stated that Bernini insulted Costanza’s husband and was forced to marry as a result. It’s easy to write off Bernini’s behavior as a product of his time, but considering the nature of his work it’s surprising that so few readings of his imagery contain discussion of his attitude towards women. Sarah McPhee has attempted to do for Costanza what sites like Feministing do for women like Reeva Steenkamp, and written a biography about her, but while I was researching Bernini for my own work I never came across any literature that used this incident as more than an anecdote to illustrate Bernini’s passionate nature.

Bernini is a product of his time, but sadly that time doesn’t really seem so different than our own. He was in a position of power, and he got away with attacking a woman. The same thing happens today, and the treatment of Costanza seems similar to the victim-blaming mentality that’s still prevalent now. Thinking of all of this, I’ve had to reevaluate the way that I think about this figure who has been such an influence on me. I can’t give Bernini a pass any more than I can give my money to see a new film by Roman Polanski.

So I wonder, how far back to we go before we can stop holding historical heroes accountable for their actions against women? When does it become far enough removed? Does it ever? I think I’m still going to see that exhibition of Bernini’s clay models–he’s been dead for a few hundred years, so at least I’m not lining. But I’ll never look at his work the same way again, or laugh off his treatment of his “muse” the way I once did.

So, I don’t want to be the person that overly criticizes something that has potential to be net-positive to the world of social justice — but I think the new NFL domestic violence PSA, set to air during the Super Bowl this coming Sunday, represents a missed opportunity.

The ad is powerful. It comes out of the League’s No More campaign, an attempt to address the issue of domestic violence after the backlash the league received for its handling of charges brought against a number of NFL players, most notably former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice. In just a minute, we hear the voice of a woman calling 911 Emergency and pretending to place a pizza order ...

So, I don’t want to be the person that overly criticizes something that has potential to be net-positive to the world of social justice — but I think the new NFL domestic violence PSA, set ...

Mare Advertencia Lirika is a Zapotec Hip Hop artist from Oaxaca, Mexico whose music speaks out for the rights of indigenous women. Now 27, Lírikan began rapping at age 16, using her lyrics to challenge sexism in her own community and call out the Mexican state for its abysmal treatment of indigenous communities.

In this Animal Politico interview, the self-identified feminist shares that “Rap helped to empower me as a woman. It gave me a tool, helped me to change, to find myself, find my identity, and to rebuild myself.” Lirika incorporates various musical styles — funk, reggae, rap, huapango — to create her sound, and her lyrics cover topics ranging from standards of beauty within the media, to the forced ...

Mare Advertencia Lirika is a Zapotec Hip Hop artist from Oaxaca, Mexico whose music speaks out for the rights of indigenous women. Now 27, Lírikan began rapping at age 16, using her lyrics to challenge sexism in her own community ...

Meet the late Bess Myerson: the first and (as of today) only Jewish Miss America, pianist, adviser to three presidents, Senate primary candidate and consumer rights advocate.I’m not sure about you, but I had never heard of Bess Myerson before Monday when headlines announced that she had died at the age of 90 at her home in Santa Monica California. (Though she died last month, her death wasn’t confirmed until January 5.) Nor had I heard about Miss America’s rule number seven, which required that contestants be “of good health and of the white race.”

Born on July 16, 1924, Myerson grew up in the Sholem Aleichem Cooperative Houses in the Bronx. She started piano when she was nine years old, ...

Meet the late Bess Myerson: the first and (as of today) only Jewish Miss America, pianist, adviser to three presidents, Senate primary candidate and consumer rights advocate.I’m not sure about you, but I had never heard ...